The invention is directed generally to the control arts, and more particularly to a novel apparatus for producing control signals in response to the reception of predetermined tone signals over a telephone line.
In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the field of home electronics and the like. With the advent of modern telephonic communication, as well as the availability of home computers and the like, a number of applications of such systems to home or personal use have been developed. For example, it has been suggested that home computers be utilized to control, through suitable interface devices, various devices in the home such as heating and air conditioning systems, lighting, appliances, and the like.
However, home computers and the necessary interface devices for performing such automatic control functions are still relatively expensive. Moreover, most such computers and other devices require some degree of skill or expertise in their installation and operation. Accordingly, the average consumer may not readily be able to utilize such computer control applications because of either financial considerations or lack of requiste knowledge and skills.
Advantageously, the present invention proposes a phone-line-linked, tone-operated control device for producing suitable control signals for use in home automatic or remote control applications. Moreover, the apparatus of the invention operates automatically in response to tone signals of the type produced by ordinary Touch-Tone telephones over conventional telephone lines. More specifically, any device producing tones commonly known as DTMF tones, such as Touch-Tone telephones, can be utilized to operate the apparatus of the invention. Accordingly, the consumer need only understand the operation of a conventional Touch-Tone telephone to utilize the present invention. That is, no special transmitting unit or device is required, whether permanently installed or a portable unit to be carried by the user. Rather, the invention may be operated from any available telephone transmitter.
Additionally, a preferred form of the invention contemplates prevention of unauthorized access or usage of the foregoing control system. To this end, a preferred form of the invention also provides a novel break-in prevention feature, which requires the entry of a selectible code over a Touch-Tone telephone line, to permit access to the remote control features of the invention. Again, however, no special transmitting unit or other device is required, the necessary code being in the form from the tones provided by any conventional, available Touch-Tone type telephone receiver.